Tag Archives: garage door

A garage door opener is not a luxury. It is a very useful device which can make your garage safer, while also providing you with some comfort benefits. However, in order for it to provide these safety and comfort features, it needs to work properly. If you have a very old garage door opener, chances are that it is no longer working as well as it should. Inspect if properly and see whether or not it is worth keeping. If it presents some of the signs presented bellow, it might be time to upgrade to a newer model.

1. Safety sensors are no longer working

All garage door opener systems come with safety receptors which are installed on either side of the garage door. When you activate the system, these sensors should be able to detect if any objects are located on the door’s route. It is very easy to test these sensors: simply place some light objects within the door’s route and close the door automatically. If the sensors are working properly, the door should reverse its opening process in order to prevent an accident. We insist that you use light objects such as cardboard boxes, because if the sensors are not working properly, the door will forcefully try to shut itself, and the obstacle might damage the door.

2. It doesn’t have a rolling code system

All of the latest garage door openers come with rolling code systems. The older models used a dip switch system. In theory, the dip switch was supposed to be a convenience for the owners, as it allowed them to change their remotes, in case they got lost, or add more remotes, by using a unique code. Unfortunately, that code can easily be broken using mere kid’s toys. An experiment was made by a blogger using a modified IM-ME toy, which is a basic texting toy. He used the toy to send all possible codes to the garage system in 8.7 seconds. This method can be used by every thief, as this experiment can be found online in detail. Fortunately, this method does not work on newer garage door openers which use a rolling code system, meaning that the garage door opener’s code changes every time the system is activated.

3. It’s not smartphone compatible

Newer garage door openers can be opened with special smartphone apps. This makes them very convenient in situations when you misplace your garage remote. Most manufacturers who produce garage door systems advise against keeping the remote in the car. Should someone break into your car, they would not only steal everything valuable that you keep into your car, but they would also have a way of entering your home.

4. It doesn’t use batteries

The latest garage door opening systems have a battery back up. Older models rely solely on electrical energy. Should there be a power failure in your neighborhood, you will find yourself unable to open your garage door. Luckily, this would never happen with a newer system which comes with a battery back up.

5. It makes a lot of noise

If the moment you open your garage door sounds like a scene from Transformers, you might want to upgrade to a newer, more silent garage door opener, one which won’t wake up all of your neighbors when you come home at three in the morning.